Councils have warned that Blue Badge theft in England has increased by 45% in the past 12 months.
The figures show that councils have successfully prosecuted 1,215 people for the crime in 2018 - up from 535 in 2014.
The Local Government Association (LGA) said the figures show the thefts of Blue Badges is up sixfold since 2013.
Cllr Martin Tett, LGA transport spokesman, said: ‘Blue Badge theft is clearly a soaring crime and it is alarming that incidents have risen by more than 45% in the past year alone.
‘Despite limited resources, councils continue to work hard to crackdown on this growing crime. More Blue Badge fraudsters than ever are being brought to justice by councils who will come down hard on drivers illegally using them.’
This story first appeared on localgov.co.uk.
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